HYPERTENSION is commonly associated with an increased risk of comorbidities, including Type 2 diabetes and obesity.
New research from Vietnam suggests a high prevalence of frailty among hypertensive patients, with women more likely to be frail than men, highlighting a need for sex-specific approaches to hypertension management in older adults.
The Link Between Frailty and Hypertension
Researchers in Vietnam conducted a study of 1,038 participants with a mean age of 73 years, between 2023 and 2024. Of the participants, 26.7% had a suboptimal blood pressure (hypertension) with a systolic blood pressure above 140 mmHg, or a diastolic blood pressure over 90 mmHg.
The prevalence of frailty among the participants was 28.6%, with those identified scoring 4 or more on the Clinical Frailty Scale. Frail female participants had a significantly higher rate of hypertension (33.9%) than the non-frail (20.9%), however no significant difference was observed between frail and non-frail males.
Following adjusted logistical modelling, the odds ratios of frailty on hypertension were calculated as 2.01 (95% CI: 1.08–3.76) in female participants and 0.92 (95% CI: 0.59–1.44) in male participants, with a female-to-male odds ratio of 2.18 (95% CI: 1.01–4.70).
A Sex-Specific Approach is Needed
While these findings suggest a need for sex-specific approaches to the management of hypertension in older adults, the study faces many limitations.
A temporal relationship between frailty and uncontrolled blood pressure could not be established, due to the different time points at which the data was collected. The low number of women studied may also have reduced the precision of the subgroup analyses, and data on socioeconomic status and nutritional intake was not collected.
The researchers suggested that differences in levels of exercise, education and socioeconomic standing may have contributed to the increased incidence of frailty among hypertensive women. Further research across broader populations is needed to develop a stronger understanding of these sex differences and their causes.
Reference
Nguyen TV et al. Frailty and sex differences in blood pressure control in older adults. Sci Rep. 2026;DOI:10.1038/s41598-026-56667-3.
Featured Image: Alexas Fotos on Pexels
- Author:
